Il Corvo fans tired of waiting in line for handmade pasta, rejoice: This week, chef Mike Easton opens his buzzed-about restaurant Il Nido in West Seattle, and it’s open for dinner five nights a week (snagging a reservation, however, might be easier said than done). Plus, Capitol Hill gets a new spot for Sichuan-style Chinese food, and a new Mexican brunch spot is open in Ballard. Read on for that and more culinary inspiration and food news for your weekend. For more ideas, try our list of Seattle food and drink specials to try in May, our Memorial Day calendar, and our full food and drink calendar.
OPENINGS
Chuan on Capitol
This Chinese restaurant specializing in Sichuan-style “dry pots” (a hot pot dish without the broth) softly opened in Capitol Hill on Sunday, May 19, and plans to have its grand opening by the end of next week. The dry pots are customizable, with protein choices like rabbit, spare ribs, and fried shrimp and options for spice levels and add-ons. The menu also includes side dishes like wontons, beef noodle soup, and fried rice and drinks like iced tea and Hong Kong-style milk tea.
Capitol Hill
Il Nido
On Tuesday, May 21, Il Corvo chef Mike Easton’s highly anticipated Italian restaurant Il Nido, which focuses on handmade pasta and seasonal vegetables, opened in West Seattle. Unlike the ever-popular Il Corvo, which is limited to lunchtime hours on weekdays only, the new establishment is open for dinner five nights a week and takes advantage of the larger space to add more time-intensive pasta varieties. Il Nido’s Instagram has previewed glimpses of focaccia and hand-rolled ricotta cavadetti. Dining room tables are available by reservation only.
West Seattle
Sazon Kitchen
The team behind the pop-up Sazon Tacos has opened a brick-and-mortar location called Sazon Kitchen, serving breakfast and brunch. The restaurant features Baja-style Mexican-Mediterranean cuisine such as chilaquiles and grain casseroles, plus Macrina Bakery pastries and Caffe Vita coffee.
Ballard
CLOSURES
Travelers Thali House
This vegetarian Indian restaurant in Beacon Hill announced on Facebook that it will shutter after seven years of business following its last weekend of service on June 1-2. According to a blog post on the restaurant’s website, the closure is due to several factors, including co-owner Allen Kornmesser’s health issues, debt, and being forced from their original location in Capitol Hill after the building was purchased by a real estate developer.
Beacon Hill
OTHER FOOD NEWS
Chef Zoi Antonitsas announces she is moving on from Little Fish project
This week, acclaimed chef and former Top Chef contestant Zoi Antonitsas, who was set to open her long-awaited restaurant and microcannery called Little Fish in Pike Place Market with chef Bryan Jarr of Jarrbar, announced via Instagram that she has “made the difficult decision” to walk away from the project, which was originally scheduled to open in summer 2018 and which has been beset by multiple delays. Antonitsas also said in the post that she “wishes all parties involved the very best” and will be taking some time before announcing her future plans. Jarr is still attached to Little Fish, but details about the future of the restaurant are currently unknown.
Vinyl-themed bar opening in Capitol Hill soon
Life on Mars, the 70s-inspired vinyl-themed bar project from John Richards (John in the Morning on KEXP), Amy Richards (Pair Music Collective), Steve Severin (Neumos, Barboza, The Runaway) and Leigh Sims (Wake Up Productions), is slated to open in Capitol Hill in early June. The bar will serve an all-vegan food menu with dishes like waffle sliders stuffed with a choice of chicken-fried artichokes, barbecue pulled jackfruit, or coconut bacon, plus local beer and cocktails.
Brewery with Korean food coming to Tacoma
The owners of Magnuson Cafe and Brewery plan to open a family-friendly brewery called Kobrew near the Tacoma waterfront, featuring 14 rotating taps, soju, and a Korean-inspired food menu with bibimbap, bo ssam, Korean fried chicken, and pork belly. The gastropub, which offers copious outdoor seating and will be open seven days a week for lunch and dinner, is currently set to open within the next few weeks.
EVENTS
FRIDAY, MAY 24
Empanadance Day with Rocky’s Empanadas
Stuff your face with traditional stuffed Argentine pastries from Rocky’s Empanadas paired with an Argentinian-inspired beer.
SATURDAY, MAY 25
Chambers Bay Distillery 5th Anniversary Party
Chambers Bay Distillery will commemorate a half-decade of business with discounts on everything, tacos from the Tijuana Taco food truck, a cornhole competition, and more.
Cubes Baking Turns 2 & Tres Lechería Launch Party
Cubes Baking Co. is turning two years old! To celebrate, they’ll debut their Tres Lechería, which marries their expanded line of tres leches cakes with a “new bakery experience.” Try inventive creations like Tres Leches doughnuts, cold brew, and fruit tarts, customize your own cake at a make-your-own-slice station, and shop for crafts. Plus, snack on tamales from LosTamaahles and Pan Dulce from Comadre Panaderia and sip agua fresca.
Hazy Beer Competition
Twelve Pacific Northwest breweries will compete to see who has the haziest beer in all the land, and you get to be the judge. Participants include Wingman Brewers Tacoma, Rainy Daze Brewing, and Narrows Brewing.
Raised Cakes Pop-Up
The team behind the Central District’s popular Raised Doughnuts will whip up cakes for a change, filled with whipped cream and fruit and frosted with fluffy buttercream.
Romanian Night at Connect Lounge
The Connect Lounge claims to be the only place in Seattle serving Romanian cuisine on its menu. For this monthly event, they’ll offer an expanded all-Romanian menu featuring owner Iulia Bejan’s mother’s recipes.
Tea-Infused Ice Cream Pop Up at Addo:incubator
Ice cream maker Milk & Leaf Collective will serve their signature tea-infused frozen treats, with flavors like Genmaicha Smacks, Vanilla Chai, and Jasmine Green Tea.
MAY 25-26
Hood Canal Shrimpfest
Venture out to the rich waters of the Hood Canal for this shrimp- and seafood-centric weekend festival featuring craft and food booths, local music, belt sander races, exhibits, activities for kids, and more.
Speak to Me with jcoco Chocolate: A Wine and Chocolate Experience!
Learn how to complement chocolate with wine, and try three different pairings.
SUNDAY, MAY 26
Drink like a Fish
For this fundraiser benefiting Northwest Film Forum, tour Lake Union on a cruise and imbibe offerings from local breweries, wineries, and distilleries.
Fjallraven Memorial Day Cookout
Watch a local chef cook with some Primus camping gear (the same brand of stove Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay used while climbing Mount Everest) and sample products from his hot sauce line.
The Great Machine House Bake Off
Can’t get enough Great British Bake-Off? At Machine House’s “mildly competitive” monthly potluck, watch contestants vie to turn out the best cakes, pies, breads, and loaves, judged by votes from other participants and patrons (one drink buys you one voting token). Competitors can win bonus points for including Machine House brews in their bakes, and the baker with the most tokens at the end of the six months will be crowned the victor and win a $100 gift card, trophy, and custom bake-off champion apron.
Salmon Says!
This “super rare” five-course tasting menu showcasing wild-caught Pacific Northwest salmon won’t be served again until salmon season next year.
Sunday Brunch! Waffles & Beer Cocktails at Lowercase Brewing
Have a lazy Sunday and leave the breakfast cooking to Lowercase Brewing, who’ll supply you with waffles made from spent grain, plus maple syrup made with their English-style eSB (extra-special bitter), bacon, cold brew, beer, Side Hustle Doughnuts, and micheladas and mimosas made with their beer.
MONDAY, MAY 27
Free Burgers on Memorial Day
On Memorial Day, break for lunch at any Li’l Woody’s location to grab a free burger.
